Sakura: Days of Future Past
by StratosOmega
Summary: The worst case scenario has become reality. Naruto and Sasuke are dead and Madara is the Ten Tails Jinchuriki. The last hope for the Shinobi Alliance is to send Sakura into the past to prevent this horrible outcome. Can Sakura defy fate and save her future? Time travel fic and much more. Full length version.
1. The ending least desired

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan based parody. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden and all other Naruto related events are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, Studio Pierrot and Shueshia. Please support the official release.**

 **A/N: This is not my first fanfiction, but it will end up being the first one I post. Please leave a review telling me what you think of this story. If it's good, tell me what you like, if not, tell me what I can do to improve it.**

The site of the final battle was a portrait of hell. Thunder cracked in the gray skies above a battlefield littered with the bodies of the dead. Madara Uchiha has become the Ten Tail's Jinchuriki and has regained both of his Rinnegan, ready to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi upon the world. Unfortunately, the only two who can stop him are now among the dead.

"Tremble in fear, for the Infinite Tsukuyomi is upon you! And there are none among you who can stop me." Boasted Madara Uchiha, the self-proclaimed "savior" of the world.

On two different sides of the battlefield lie the bodies of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, who was stabbed through the heart by Madara, died a solitary death. Naruto, on the other hand, died soon after a futile attempt to save him by Sakura Haruno after the Nine Tails was stolen by Madara. Sakura, in her grief and anguish, physically embodied the loss in resolve felt by the rest of the Shinobi Alliance, her tears flowing freely onto the chest of her closest friend.

"Don't go, Naruto. Please, don't leave me alone. Don't you understand, you idiot, I need you!" Everyone could hear her heart breaking into pieces as she begged him to awaken, but alas, the boy would never open his eyes again.

"Beg all you want, you worthless little ant. No matter how much you cry for him, he's never coming back. Both he and the Uchiha boy are nothing but corpses now. Utterly worthless. " Declared Madara with an annoyed scowl on his face directed towards Sakura. His words took immediate effect on Sakura and she responded not with anguish like one would expect, but with a stern look of hatred and determination.

"I am not a worthless ant. And I am not afraid of you!" With her anger steadily rising, Sakura stood up and walked towards Madara, stopping just in front of him before continuing. "I want you to hear me loud and clear you son of a bitch. My name is Sakura Haruno. I am the student of the 5th Hokage and a proud friend to Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, the two greatest ninja in history. You may have all of the tailed beasts, but you haven't won." Sakura then picked up one of the fourth Hokage's custom Kunai knives and cut her right hand on it. "Live in fear from this day onward, because I swear that even if you tear me to pieces, I will stop you. Do you hear me?! I WILL STOP YOU MADARA UCHIHA!"

Silence overtook the battlefield for a moment. Those closest to her were shocked at Sakura's sudden outburst, with some them even remarking that it sounded like something Naruto would say, while the rest thought that she might have gone insane with grief. But then something miraculous happened, all of the allied shinobi forces, even those who were just doubting her, began cheering loudly and agreeing with her, as if her defiance in the face of certain death inspired them to do the same. However, there were a few who did not share that enthusiasm, one of them being Madara.

"It's been a long time since I've met someone like you. Too bad. If things had been different, you might have become the strongest Kunoichi. But unfortunately, that potential means that you are too dangerous to be kept alive. So instead, you will die."

Eager to remove this last obstacle, Madara created a black rod and thrust it directly at Sakura's heart, only for her to disappear suddenly and then reappear in the Kamui realm surrounded by Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha and Naruto's father, the 4th Hokage.

Sakura, frustrated after realizing that she's still alive, even though she had prepared to join Naruto and Sasuke in the afterlife, stared angrily at Kakashi and Obito with tears already starting to form in the corners of her eyes. "Why the hell did you do that?! I could have ended it right then!"

Kakashi shook his head and said "I'm aware of what you were intending to do, but it wouldn't have worked. With the powers he currently possesses, detonating yourself wouldn't have worked."

Sakura, now openly weeping responded while watching her tears fall to the ground "I don't care! It's already over, there's nothing left to fight for. The only thing I ever wanted was to be happy with Naruto and Sasuke back in the village, but that can't happen. Sasuke won't come home and Naruto will never be able to fulfill his dream of being Hokage. I promised you I would take care of him, but I couldn't even do that. I'm so sorry. He was always so kind to me, and I was nothing but horrible to him. I wish I could have another chance to do it all over again…"

The 4th, realizing that she directed that last part at him as Naruto's father, placed his remaining hand on her shoulder to comfort her, then he said "Do you really mean that? If you could actually go back and change the future, would you?" Confused like Obito and Kakashi, Sakura looked at the Hokage and hesitantly nodded yes. "That's good to hear. Because I think that's the course we should take."

Equally shocked by this statement as he was the last, Kakashi asked the question that had been on everyone's mind. "But sensei, how?"

"I believe you and Obito are the key to this plan. Bear in mind that this only a theory and definitely a long shot, the fact is that this may be the only option available to us, given the fact that were are going to lose this war otherwise. Separately, your Mangekyo Sharingan technique, Kamui, has the ability to send whatever it is cast upon into another dimension, but what if you were to both use them together at fool power?"

It was Obito who answered the question "The idea does have some merit. Every once in a while, something I would use Kamui on wouldn't appear in my dimension, and would have no idea where it would go. But I should warn you, sensei. There's no guarantee of where she would end up if we sent her into the past. It could only be days or it could be years into the past. Not to mention the fact that we have no idea whether she'll remain in her current state or if she'll change in any way. But perhaps the biggest issue is that there's little to no chance she'll survive this and we only get one shot."

Then Sakura said "Not to mention the fact that me going back won't change anything. I don't have the power to do anything significant." Kakashi signed at his student's lack of faith in her abilities.

However, the 4th was not deterred. "You might be right. Sending you back right now won't do anything if you remain as you are. That's why I am going to give you the power I was going to give to Naruto."

Sakura's eyes widened in realization "You mean…"

"You're going to become the new Nine Tails Jinchuriki." Finished the 4th Hokage.

"You're going to seal the Nine Tails into her? Sensei, do you realize what could happen to her? She might not survive the sealing." Exclaimed Kakashi, clearly concerned for his student.

But before the 4th could respond, Sakura answered for him. "its okay, Kakashi-sensei."

"But Sakura…"

"Please let me do this. I want to do it. I didn't think this would work at first, but after thinking about it, I've decided I have to try. Besides, Naruto wouldn't hesitate to do it. This is my only shot to save them both. Then she looked the 4th Hokage in the eye directly with a confident smile. "I'm ready, lord 4th. Please seal the Nine Tails inside of me."

"Alright then. But before I do so, I'll make this an official mission as the Hokage. Sakura Haruno, you are to go back in time and stop Madara Uchiha's plans at any cost."

"Yes, lord Hokage."

"Please, call me Minato. It's amazing, right now you resemble Kushina so much, even more so than Naruto did. Please protect my son." Sakura only had time to smile in response before Minato sealed his half of the Nine Tails into her and she collapsed.

"Right, now it's our turn. This will probably take all our charka to pull off. I hope you're ready to go see Rin, Kakashi." Said Obito with a grim smile.

"Honestly, I'm more terrified of running into Naruto and Sasuke than I am of Rin… Good luck, Sakura." Those were Kakashi's last thoughts before he and Obito used Kamui on his last remaining student, sending her into the unknown.

 **A/N: So this was the first chapter of Sakura's Future Past. It was inspired by the movie X Men: Day's of Future's Past as well as two other fanfic on this site; Until it's Gone by The Pyroman and Two of a Kind by xxRomanceGirlxx. Check out their stories, they're awesome! Also I want to thank AnimeXHarem for the great advice you gave me. I'm always looking to improve, so please review and give me advice everyone, I appreciate it. Til' then I am StratosOmega, the Cosmic Angel of Death, and I will see you next time.**

 **Below is a list of terms for people who may have been lost**

 **Jinchuriki-humans that have tailed beasts sealed within them. They exhibit extraordinary powers due to the immense chakra reserves they possess.**

 **Rinnegan- the most exalted eyes amongst the Three Great Eye Techniques. Rinnegan wielders are said to be sent down from the heavens to become either a "God of Creation" who will calm the world's disorder or a "Destroyer" who will reduce everything to nothingness.**


	2. Second Chances

**Disclaimer: The following is a fan based parody. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden and all other Naruto related events are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, Studio Pierrot and Shueshia. Please support the official release.**

Here is a key on how dialog will be spoken:

Speech

 **Tailed beast**

 _Thoughts_

It felt like centuries had passed since Sakura had last been conscious of anything. She looked around, and all she saw was darkness. Every inch of her body burned as if she were being cremated and the pain emanating from her bones threatened to send her into shock. Every second that passed seemed to increase the pain tenfold, until finally Sakura could take no more. She cried out at the top of her lungs, then a light appeared, growing steadily brighter. And then… she opened her eyes.

It took a while, but once her remaining drowsiness wore off, Sakura was able to recognize where she was. "My room…" said Sakura with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. She recalled that she hadn't actually been in her room for the last three months, not since it was destroyed along with the rest of the village by Pain's Almighty Push technique. Her fist clenched at the memory of that day. How Naruto was able to forgive him for that and all the other tragedies Pain caused, she'll never know, but she was still a long way off.

Putting her elation aside for the moment, Sakura removed her bed covers and swung her legs to the side of her bed to stand up, only to be shocked when her feet didn't drag on the floor like they usually would. She tried to stand up, but put too much strength into it and ended up falling face first onto the floor. "Ow! Damn it, that really hurt…" said Sakura as she slowly stood up while rubbing her now aching forehead.

Shock once again drew her attention as she realized how high pitched her voice was. She quickly turned to face the full body mirror in her room to exam herself. She was shorter than she remembered being and her pink hair was much longer than it used to be. Her clothes were different to, instead of the Hidden Leaf village's standard attire of dark blue shirt and pants along with an olive green flak jacket, she was wearing a set of tan pajamas that she hadn't worn for several years. She briefly sighed over the fact that her bust, which hadn't been that impressive to begin with, seemed to have shrunk along with everything else when the realization finally dawned on her.

"It worked… They really did it. I'm in the past!" exclaimed Sakura with a huge smile on her face. _This is great. Now I can change everything._ _I wonder exactly how far back I was sent…_ Before Sakura could think any more on the matter, she heard a loud boom right next her and quickly turned to her door to discover that her bedroom door had been busted wide open by her mom and dad, who were holding a plunger and a spatula respectively.

"There's no need to fear honey, Daddy's here!" Yelled her dad while swinging the plunger in his hand wildly.

"Sakura! Are you alright dear, we heard you scream and then that loud thud…" asked Sakura's panic stricken mom as she went over to her daughter and inspected her for injuries.

Sakura, not exactly happy with her space being invaded, gently pushed her mother's hands away and responded "I'm fine mom. Don't worry, it was just a nightmare and I tripped getting out of bed afterwards. Anyway, what's the big idea of kicking my door down like that! Don't you know how dangerous that is?!"

Her father stopped swinging his "Weapon" and looked at his daughter with an embarrassed expression "Yeah sorry about that, heheheh…"

"Well I'm not. We only came up here because we were worried about you, young lady. And the only thanks we get is you complaining." Said Sakura's mother.

"And I appreciate that. But you have to remember that I'm a Ninja now and surprising me is not a good idea. I could have seriously hurt you." Countered Sakura.

"You forget that we used to be ninja as well and you only became one two days ago, so don't take that tone with me!"

 _Honestly, sometimes I do forget. Wait a minute, two days? That means this is the morning of the test. Though I kind of wish it was earlier so that I could keep my promise to the 4_ _th_ _Hokage, this may actually be the perfect place for me to start changing everything. But first…_ "So mom, what time is it right now?"

Caught off-guard by the sudden change in conversation, Sakura's mother looked at her watch and smiled before responding "It's still pretty early. You have about an hour and a half before you have to go meet your team."

 _Add about an hour onto that for Kakashi sensei's tardiness and you'll have got that perfect, mom. That should give me just enough time to come up with a plan to do better this time._ "That's perfect, I'm starving!" Responded Sakura with a wide grin.

"But Sakura, What about the diet you said you were going on?" Asked her Father.

"Forget it. I'm twelve, what do I need to diet for?"

This stunned both her parents. For a long time, all they heard from Sakura was how she wanted to look good for Sasuke Uchiha instead of focusing on her studies. Even though they were confused by this sudden change in their daughter's behavior, they both smiled proudly none the less. She was finally serious about her Ninja training.

After eating breakfast and packing the leftovers along with her lunch to take to the boys, Sakura headed out in the direction of their meeting place with a content smile on her face as she reminisced about the first time they took this test. _It's gonna be totally different this time. Watch out Kakashi-sensei, we're gonna snag those bells for sure! Cha!_

Then Sakura stopped dead in her tracks as she remembered an important fact. _Kakashi-sensei and Obito were dangerously low on Chakra last time I saw them. It's very likely that they died to send me back here…_ She then recalled that all of her other friends were still on the battlefield and were most likely killed by Madara soon after she disappeared. She also remembered thinking about how she hadn't seen her parents since she went off to war and was actually happy about the argument she had with them earlier. _I'm so sorry to leave you everyone, I swear I'll change things, you won't have died for nothing._ Sakura then continued towards the meeting point at a quickened pace, determined to succeed.

Sakura's earlier determination changed to apprehension when she finally arrived at the meeting point and saw her teammates standing there taking notice of her arrival.

Sasuke was the first to acknowledge her presence by looking towards her briefly and saying "You're late."

Naruto, clearly frustrated with Sasuke's callousness, shot him an angry look and said "Sasuke! Why do you have to be an ass all the time?!"

"I was just stating the truth, loser." Countered Sasuke.

"What was that, you bastard?!"

"I said you're a loser. But apparently, you're a dumbass as well!"

This naturally evolved into an angry staring contest until they happened to look over at Sakura who had tears running down her face.

 _It's been so long. It feels like forever since the last time I saw them alive, or even since they only argued with each other instead of fighting. Naruto…Sasuke… I missed you both so much._ Thought Sakura as the joy of seeing her closest friends, still alive and still comrades, maybe even friends once this was over.

"Oh man, I'm sorry Sakura! We weren't trying to make you cry or anything. Right, Sasuke?" Said Naruto before giving a stern look to Sasuke.

"Right." Replied an annoyed Sasuke.

After realizing what they were talking about, Sakura quickly wiped her eyes and smiled the best smile she could muster. "It's fine guys, I just had a bad night and I guess I was still remembering it. Anyway, you guys hungry, I brought Breakfast."

"Didn't Kakashi say not to eat Breakfast?" Asked Sasuke.

"Yeah, but we're probably gonna need to keep our strength up. Besides, how's he gonna know?"

"Wow Sakura, I didn't think you were sneaky like that." Replied a highly amused Naruto.

"Well, a ninja's greatest tool is deception." She replied with a smile.

That last comment managed to get a smile from Sasuke "Sure, why not."

It was at that moment that Sakura told herself that things had already changed for the better. _This will work. This will work._

 **A/N And that's Chapter 2. Okay, I really wanted to get to and finish the bell test in this chapter so that I can move on. But this Chapter was getting harder and harder to write, and it already took me a few days to come up with this. The good news is, I've gotten through the tragic part and the light hearted part… kinda… now I can devote a whole chapter to the test itself and make it more fleshed out than I originally planned it to be. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought of this chapter. Admittedly, I have my own issues with it, but I still want to know what you think. If it sucks, tell how I can make it not suck. If it's good then tell me what you like about it. Don't leave me hanging, I can only get better with your help. Til' then I am StratosOmega, the Cosmic Angel of Death, and I will see you next time.**


	3. Team 7: Redux

**Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan based parody. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden and all other Naruto related media are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, Studio Pierrot and Shueshia. Please support the official release.**

Here is a key on how dialog will be spoken:

Speech

 **Tailed beast**

 _Thoughts_

Flashback

 **Narration**

 **When we last left off in Sakura: Days of Future Past, Sakura Haruno had successfully journeyed back in time to prevent utter annihilation in the upcoming war with Madara Uchiha. Upon awakening, Sakura discovered that she had traveled back to the day of Team 7's Bell Test and that she was once again in her twelve year old body. Realizing that many people gave their lives to send her back, Sakura vowed to herself that she would change fate and save them all, starting with the simple gesture of feeding Naruto and Sasuke breakfast so that they can perform better during the test, unaware that the very person she planned to deceive was standing on a tree branch very close by.**

Unknown to the future Team 7 as they made their way to the training grounds, Kakashi Hatake had been secretly observing the three of them up to this point and was particularly surprised by Sakura's actions. Even though the lower half of his face is hidden behind a mask, one could clearly see the outline of a smile on his face. "Well would you look at that, one of them actually managed to see through my little deception. There might be some hope for these three after all."

Kakashi then thought back to their conversation itself. _It is a little out of character for all three of them to be eating though. I figured that if Sakura were to figure out my ruse, she would be sure to offer some food to Sasuke and tell Naruto to get his own, or at the very least give Naruto the food after Sasuke rejected her. But to feed them both, and without giving preference to Sasuke? Something's off… No. There's no reason to speculate yet. She probably just woke up in a giving mood._

Kakashi sat down on the tree branch and leaned back against the trunk. "Their solidarity seems to be holding together for now, but let's see if they can hold together under the scrutiny of being left to stew for an hour."

So that's exactly what he did. Kakashi simply sat back and read his book for the next hour, all the while listening to the kids complain about his being late. Naturally, it was Naruto who complained both the most often and the loudest, even Sasuke threw in a couple of complaints. But, to his surprise, given her personality in her file, Sakura remained completely silent, only rolling her eyes and giving a look of sheer annoyance every once in a while.

This could have been attributed to Naruto's yelling, he thought. However, it also seemed given the rest of her body language, that her annoyance was aimed at him, like she was used to having to wait. But there was something else behind her annoyance. It was concentration, thoughts spinning around in her brain. She was plotting something.

 _Well I was right about him taking forever to get here. Though knowing that doesn't make the wait any easier. I thought that I could use this time to come up with a plan for the test, but the only Jutsu that Naruto and Sasuke know, aside from the academy Jutsu's at this point, are the Shadow clone Jutsu and the Fireball Jutsu respectively. But, what about me? I may be in my twelve year old body again, but I remember every technique I learned. The question is, can I still use them all, or am I limited in what I can do? I may have the control, but the amount of Chakra I have is pathetic. Maybe it was a mistake for you to send me back after all, Minato…_

Before she could slip any further, Sakura mentally slapped herselfand she remembered something important. _I'm the Nine Tails Jinchuriki now, surely I've increased the amount of Chakra from what I had before. I may not know how to access it right now, but it's there, I can feel it! But I think right now my best bet is to stick with tree climbing and, if necessary, water walking. I should be able to get away with those, probably._

Before Sakura could think any further on her current dilemma, Kakashi Hatake finally decided to make his presence known in his own unique way.

"Good morning, class!" said Kakashi as he walked over to them nonchalantly.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Yelled both Naruto and Sakura in anger.

"Sorry about that. I was on my way here and I got lost on the road of life" Explained Kakashi while scratching the back of his head.

 _Bullshit…_ Thought Sakura, clearly not satisfied with his excuse.

"Well anyway…" Continued Kakashi as he removed his backpack, set it down and took a clock out of it, setting the clock on a stump and then pressing down on the button at the top. "I've set this alarm to go off at noon."

He then pulled out two silver bells from his pocket and held them up in one hand for them to see. "I have here two small bells. Your test is this; steal these from me before time runs out. Anyone who fails goes without lunch. Instead, you will be tied up to that tree stump, and I'll eat your lunch in front of you."

 _Even though we ate already, this is still gonna take everything out of us, so the threat of going without lunch is still…_ Thought Sakura grimly, especially given the look she saw on Naruto and Sasuke's faces, like they were both thinking _Good thing we already ate!_

"All you need is one apiece. But since there aren't enough to go around, one of you is definitely headed for the stump. And whoever that is will be the first of you to fail. Simply put, one of you is on your way back to the Academy."

After making sure he had the three of them sufficiently scared, Kakashi tied the bells to his belt loop and continued "You may use any tool at your disposal. Attack as though you mean to kill or you'll never stand a chance."

"But sensei, that's so dangerous!" Yelled Sakura to keep in character.

Naruto then laughed and said "Yeah, you couldn't even dodge an eraser! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Naruto's comment had Sakura remembering the time when Naruto had played a prank on Kakashi for being late during their first meeting. She smiled somberly at the memory, much darker days are to come soon.

Kakashi sighed at the blondes comment. _Must you talk so big?_ "Only the weak speak loudly. Let's forget the dunce and we'll start on my signal."

Sakura didn't have to be a mind reader to know that that pissed Naruto off. The look on his face and sudden charge towards Kakashi with a Kunai knife in hand in a reverse grip stabbing motion told her all she needed to know.

However, before she could react, Kakashi had already appeared behind Naruto holding the hand with the Kunai directly behind Naruto's head, ironically being the only thing stopping the blonde from stabbing himself in the head.

"Not so fast. I didn't say "go"."

Sasuke and Sakura, both of them now on guard. Each had their own thoughts.

 _So this is a Jonin…_ Thought Sasuke, realizing that this test wasn't going to be easy.

 _I'd almost forgotten how fast he is. And to think, this is child's play to him._ Thought Sakura.

"But at least you struck to kill, so it seems you've begun to respect me." remarked Kakashi. "You know what? I think I'm starting to like you three." He let go of Naruto then readied himself. "And now…Ready…GO!"

Sakura didn't stick around and watch Naruto's failure like she did in her original past, uneager to relive Naruto's humiliating defeat. Instead, she decided to go to the spot deep in the forest where she was supposed to encounter Kakashi and ambush him.

 _I have a plan for getting the bells this time, but I'm going to need the boys to try on their own first before they'll listen to me. Sorry guys._ Thought Sakura as she searched for a good spot to hide.

After about a minute, Sakura finally spotted a thicket where she could easily hide and watch for Kakashi to pass before she attacked.

"I may not be able to beat you with this body, but I won't be such an easy target this time, Sensei. Whispered Sakura with a determined look in her eyes and a confident smile on her face. However, her confidence turned to confusion a moment later.

"Wait a minute, why do I feel like I'm forgetting something… Oh well." Said Sakura as she began to step into the thicket.

She didn't have to wait long for Kakashi to walk directly into her line of site, reading and occasionally giggling at a book he'll be reading for years to come called "Make-Out Paradise", which may or may not be erotic in nature, though considering the author, it most likely was.

Pushing aside her own foreknowledge of the author, she took out a kunai and some shuriken from her weapons pouch and prepared to attack. Before she could make her move, Sakura suddenly felt something tap her left shoulder. Then she heard a whisper. It said "Sakura, behind you."

Sakura instantly turn around and came face to face with Kakashi, who put his hands together while starring her directly in the eyes. _Damnit! How the hell did I forget that?!_ Thought Sakura as she shut her eyes tight in a vain attempt to protect herself against what she knew was coming, the art of illusion, Genjutsu.

"Great, you knew it was coming and you fell for it anyway. Terrific Sakura, just terrific." Complained Sakura before she prepared to release the Genjutsu. _This may be cheating a little, given the fact that I'm not supposed to know Chakra control yet, but desperate times…_

However, just before she released the Genjutsu, a voice that sounded a lot like Sasuke's weakly called out to her. Instead of choosing to ignore it like she should have, Sakura turned to the voice, ready to play along when her eyes widened in horror.

Sakura knew she was supposed to see an illusion of a horrifically mangled twelve year old Sasuke asking her for help, but what she saw was much worse than anything she should have seen at this point. She saw a seventeen year old Sasuke, lying dead on a pile of rubble with blood seeping from a whole in his chest. His skin was pale and his eyes half open, hollow and lifeless.

She could hear her heart beating in her chest loudly beating in an ever increasing pace, and tears began to over flow from her eyes down her cheeks and her breathing began to be quick and labored on top of everything else. That was how he looked the last time she saw him before she traveled back in time. That was how Sasuke looked when he died.

Then Sakura calmed down and remembered what was happening. But the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. "How dare you...?" Without thinking, Sakura charged at the illusion and attacked with a chakra filled punch. The punch didn't do as much damage as it would have if she were older, only creating a large dent in the ground instead of pulverizing it like it was meant to, but it was enough to get Kakashi to cancel the Genjutsu and leap away to safety.

 _Well that was shocking. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it almost looked like an attack from Tsunade of the Sanin, but it couldn't be! And her reaction to that Genjutsu. I expected her to faint from shock, but that was more like PTSD. What's going on here?_ Thought Kakashi as he put some distance between himself and Sakura.

Two hours later

She stood there, unable to go towards them, unable to speak as they stood across from her with somber smiles on their faces. Standing before her now are Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha and behind them, the door to the other side.

"It's time for us to go, Sakura."

"No! Naruto wait, I can save you!" Cried Sakura, desperately.

"You're still annoying, even after all this time."

"Sasuke please! I know this will work. I can change everything. I can…!" Yelled out Sakura before she was grabbed by a giant sized Madara.

"You can do nothing." Said the giant Madara before it transformed into her inner self.

"You are weak." Continued inner Sakura before finally becoming the Nine Tailed Fox.

" **You are worthless!** " Finished the Nine Tails before letting go of her and watching as she fell into a chasm of darkness.

As she fell, the last words she heard came from Naruto and Sasuke. "Later…Sakura."

"No…. no….No!" Screamed Sakura before she suddenly stopped falling, she felt like someone was shaking her, then she heard someone calling out to her over and over until she realized the truth. She was asleep.

She opened her eyes slowly to give her eyes time to adjust when she found herself face to face with Naruto and Sasuke again, only this time they were young again. Sasuke looked like he was slightly interested in her condition while Naruto looked extremely worried as he hovered over her.

"Oh man. Sakura, are you alright? Come on, say something!" said a clearly hysterical Naruto.

"Calm down you idiot. She's waking up. She'll be fine." Replied Sasuke, almost impatiently.

 _What happened to me? Last thing I remember was being caught in Kakashi sensei's Genjutsu and then I attacked him. Did I really pass out after using one Jutsu? Was I really this pathetic back then? And what was with that dream?_ Thought Sakura while the boys began arguing again.

"It's alright Naruto, I'm fine. I was just careless." Explained Sakura to stop the fighting.

"Judging by your current state, I'm guessing you didn't get a bell?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura shook her head solemnly then asked "What about you guys? How'd you do?"

Sakura could tell by the looks on their faces that neither one of them was successful either.

 _Perfect._ "I see… It doesn't look like we have a lot of time left either."

"Darn it! What are we supposed to do?! We're giving it everything we got and nothings working!" growled Naruto in frustration.

Sasuke sighed in reply. "At this rate, we'll all end up being sent back to the academy. We were hilariously out matched from the start. This is pointless…"

Sasuke's response didn't sit to well with Naruto who was once again in his face. "Enough with that kind of talk, Sasuke! Are you saying we should just roll over and give up?! There's no way I'm gonna quit!"

"That's not what I said at all! I'm saying going at him the way we have been isn't working so we should try something else! And get the hell out of my face, you loser!"

"Will you two stop it already?! Us tearing into each other isn't going to help us right now!" Yelled Sakura, getting their attention with how pissed off she appeared to be.

Once she was sure they were paying attention to her, she cleared her throat and explained "It's obvious that none of us were meant to succeed in the test alone."

"What do you mean, Sakura?" asked a very confused Naruto.

"I mean that if we want to pass this test, we have to do it together." Answered Sakura.

"But Kakashi told us that only two of us could pass, remember?" countered Sasuke.

"Yeah, but he wasn't telling the truth." This managed to shock both Naruto and Sasuke.

"If you think about it, what he said doesn't make much since. In the first place, why would he have a stipulation that says only two people can pass when every team form out of the academy is made up of three Genin and one Jonin. Not to mention that every other team is usually composed of four members minimum. Also it's impossible for any Genin fresh out of the academy to defeat even one Jonin singlehandedly, especially not one who was rumored to have been taught by the Fourth Hokage himself. So when you think about it, working together is the only way to pass." Finished Sakura, adding the last part to test her teammate's reactions.

"The Fourth Hokage himself eh…?" Replied Sasuke with a curious smirk on his face while Naruto was awed by the revelation.

"The Fourth Hokage… That's so cool. The Fourth was the greatest Hokage in history, and if our Sensei was really trained by him, then we've hit the jackpot!"

Sakura smiled at her friend's reactions, then she got serious. "Listen guys, we don't have a whole lot of time left. Our next move either works, or that's it."

"Yeah, but how are we going to pull this off. Sasuke and I have used up our best moves, and you don't look so good, Sakura." Replied Naruto a bit more bluntly than he intended.

Despite the fact that he was right, Sakura could help but feel a little ticked off at Naruto's unintentional insult and prepared to punch him into the sky.

"I'm guessing you've got a plan?" Asked Sasuke, saving Naruto from Sakura's wrath for the moment.

"I do, actually. But there's no guarantee it will work."

"What are the odds?"

"About as high as me kissing Naruto outside of CPR. Said Sakura with deadpan expression on her face.

"Hey…" Whined Naruto.

 _What's up with her? She was never this driven in the academy. Well, whatever it is…_ "That low, huh? Alright, let's hear it." Replied Sasuke.

"I'm with you too, Sakura. All the way!" Added Naruto.

Confident that she could actually pull this off now that the boys were on her side, Sakura explained the plan to them in great detail.

Kakashi stopped reading his book for a moment and realized that there was only one more minute left in the test and also that it had been hours since any of the kids attacked him. He briefly considered that they had given up, but reconsidered when he remembered who he was dealing with and thought back to earlier in the day. He noticed Sakura was acting strange the entire day and seemed to always be thinking of something, where as she normally only be thinking of Sasuke. And her violent reaction to his Genjutsu. "Could something have happened to her?" He'd need to keep a close eye on her, regardless of how this test turned out.

Suddenly as if to interrupt his thoughts, someone stepped out of the bushes in front of him. It was Sakura.

"Well would you look at that? It appears one of you hasn't given up after all. You know, you've only got about thirty seconds left. You better hurry." He said in a taunting manner.

Instead of replying to the obvious bait, Sakura charged at him kunai in hand with a group of at least twenty Sakura's following steadily behind her.

 _Clone jutsu huh? Clever, but basic._ Thought Kakashi as he began attacking the clones trying to get the real Sakura, only to be shocked when his attacks not only connected, but actually made them vanish into puffs of smoke on contact. "What! Shadow clones? When did she learn that?! That means Naruto must be nearby." Guessed Kakashi.

Kakashi spotted a pebble and kicked into a tree branch across the field. His seemingly random guess turned out to be right when Naruto fell out of the tree and landed on his tail bone. After confirming his theory, Kakashi continued his attack on the Sakura clones now revealed to be Naruto's Shadow clones formally transformed to look like Sakura, to get to the real Sakura, who leapt towards him to try and grab the bells.

He was able to grab her in midair then pin her to the ground with his left hand. However, he was mistaken if he thought he had thwarted her plan. Sakura was suddenly surrounded by a cloud of smoke that revealed she was actually Naruto in disguise. "What the hell?! Naruto?" exclaimed Kakashi in shock while Naruto raised his head up.

"Sasuke, Now!" yelled Naruto right before Sasuke jumped directly above him and threw multiple Shuriken and Kunai.

 _What is he thinking? Throwing all those weapons haphazardly like that is a waste, he'll never hit anything. Unless …_ At that moment, Kakashi noticed that one of those Kunai was heading towards him, but it wasn't aimed at the bells like he expected, it was aimed at… "Oh no. Not "Make-Out Paradise!" Realized Kakashi as he countered with a Kunai of his own to protect his precious book. Then all the weapons exploded into a large cloud of smoke and he was blinded by a bright light.

It took a while for Kakashi to realize he had been tricked. When he opened his eye he saw the three of them standing in front of him with varying degrees of smiles on their faces and being held by all three of them were the bells that used to be on his belt.

"How was that, Sensei?" Asked Naruto with a confident expression on his face.

Instead of answering him right away, Kakashi stood up and walked over to the clock to press the button on top just before the alarm went off.

 _They cut it close but…_ Thought Kakashi before he began his assessment of their performance "Well, let's see, the three of you clearly violated the one rule of the test by standing there with all three of you holding the bells, your plan could have gotten Naruto killed and possibly worst of all, disobeying my orders to skip breakfast before taking this test. Now give me one reason why I shouldn't drop you three from the program immediately.

The three were shocked, sure their plan was dangerous, all of them accepted the risks when they came up with the plan and they were all, Naruto especially, confident they could carry it out perfectly. Sakura was going to speak up in defense of her plan, but she was beaten to it surprisingly by Sasuke.

"It doesn't matter how dangerous the plan was. No matter what strategy we came up with, when fighting an opponent with unknown and possibly superior ability, there will always be risk involved. We knew this when Sakura pitched the idea, and we agreed to it regardless."

"I was the first to agree to it because I was the one on center stage! It was my time to shine for once instead of Sasuke!" Added Naruto

"So this was Sakura's plan? So what you're saying is only she should fail, given the fact that she disobeyed my orders earlier and broke the rules of the test?" Retorted an increasingly angry Kakashi.

"No way! Sakura might have broken the rules, but she did it for us. We couldn't have done this without her!" responded Naruto while stepping between Sakura and Kakashi.

"Naruto, that's enough! Your dream is to be Hokage one day, right? And in order to do that you have to pass this test first. Please don't risk that for me and my stupid plan!" Cried Sakura. _I didn't think this through. I knew that plan carried a lot of risk to it, but I took their word for it when they said they were willing to go along with it. I'm sorry everyone._

"Shut up, Sakura. In order for us to complete our mission, we needed to be a team, and fought like a team." Said Sasuke as he walked in front of Naruto and Sakura to stand between them and Kakashi.

"So you're all choosing to defy me? Listen here, you spoiled brats, you three are Genin, I am a Jonin, which means as far as you three are concerned, my word is law. Do you understand? The orders I gave to you were to steal the two bells from me and the one without a bell gets left behind, but instead you three chose to come at me all at once and all three of you are holding the bells, which means none of you left behind. Do you know what that means?" Said Kakashi while giving the three of them a deadly serious glare causing the three of them to swallow hard in fear.

"It means… you…pass." Finished Kakashi with a smile.

"…Huh?!" yelled the three Genin in shock. Kakashi let the thought register with their minds for a moment before continuing.

"I've tested many teams with this test before and because they all missed the point, I've never passed a single one up till now. They all followed my orders without question, like mindless drones. A true Shinobi seeks for the hidden meanings within hidden meanings. In the Ninja word, those who can't follow the rules are scum. But, those who do abandon their friends and comrades, are worse than scum. You three stuck by each other, even when it would have benefited you two to abandon Sakura to save your selves, and Sakura, you made sure Naruto and Sasuke had the energy to complete this test, even if you weren't that subtle about it. "A ninja's greatest tool is deception." Right Sakura?"

Sakura's cheeks turned red and she giggled in embarrassment when she realized she'd been caught. _I should've known he'd see right through me, but the risk was well worth the reward. Thank you for the lesson, Kakashi Sensei, I swear I'll never forget it._

Kakashi then gave them the thumbs up. "The exercise is concluded, you all pass! That's it for today, Team 7. Your official lives as Ninjas begin tomorrow!"

All three of them showed their happiness at the news in their own way. Naruto jumped up and down, screaming his lungs out in excitement and Sasuke just grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets. For Sakura's part, she just smiled happily at Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi.

 _That's right. This is where it all started for us. This is the moment we really became Team 7. Maybe I can really start to change things from here. I can help Naruto so that he can be better prepared. I can make sure Sasuke is strong enough to maybe do a little better against Itachi. Maybe I can get close enough to them to help relieve their burdens a little. Maybe I can keep either one of them from leaving the village all together._ Thought Sakura as they walked out of the training fields back towards the Village. Unfortunately, Sakura didn't get very far before she dropped to the ground and passed out.

When she came to, Sakura found herself in what looked like a sepia toned dungeon. The floor seemed to be flooded and the brick walls were covered in mold.

"What the hell? Where am I?" Asked Sakura while she tried to find a way out. She stopped looking around when she heard footsteps approach from behind her. She turned to face that person and found she was staring at herself, except this Sakura had black pupiless eyes and a large menacing grin on her face. "Well looky here, if it isn't my old buddy, Sakura. Long time no see!"

"What are you doing here? I got rid of you!" yelled Sakura.

The other Sakura laughed as if Sakura had just told the world's funniest joke. "Get rid of me? What on earth would make you think that was even possible? But anyway, that's an issue for another time. You're not here to talk to me after all. You're here to meet _him_.

Before Sakura could ask who him was, she saw a large pair of red eyes surrounded by the largest amount of red colored chakra she had ever seen.

" **It's about time we've met, Sakura Haruno."**

To be continued. __

 **A/N Good God, that took forever! I am so sorry for the wait, but life got super busy for me. I moved to a new place, College has been taking up a lot of my time and I got stuck more than once. I know this is a really long chapter and that may have contributed to a lot of things. I can tell you that the next one won't be nearly as long so it will come out much quicker, thank you all for your patience.**

 **So I actually have a couple of announcements regarding this fic. The first is that an artist on Deviantart named CancerTheGiantCrab has given me permission to use his custom made logo as an icon/book cover thingy for this story. So Yay. I will be posting a link to his Deviantart account and the page where I found it on my profile, so please go check out his stuff.**

 **Second is that I will be adding an after chapter segment on every chapter from now on called "How Do You Pronounce it?" In this new segment, I, StratosOmega and the cast of Naruto, will be helping those of you who are new to the Anime/Manga culture pronounce words correctly so that you can better enjoy the stories you read from myself or any of fanfiction's other talented authors.**

 **In today's episode, we'll be teaching you how to pronounce the names of Team 7, our primary protagonists.**

 **First on our list is the pink-haired heroine of this story: Sakura Haruno!**

 **Her first name is pronounced Sah-coo-rah, her last name is pronounced Hah-roo-no.**

 **Next is the Orange Hokage himself: Naruto Uzumaki!** __

 **His First name is pronounced like this: Nah-roo-toe, his last is pronounced: Oo-zoo-mah-key.**

 **I hope you're keeping up with me so far, cause next up is the number 1 rookie: Sasuke Uchiha!**

 **His first name is pronounced Sauce-kay, His last name is pronounced Oo-chee-ha.**

 **And finally, we have the man said to have copied over 1000 techniques: Kakashi Hatake!**

 **His first name is pronounced Kah-kah-she, his last name is pronounced Ha-ta-kay.**

 **Looks like that's all the time we have for today everyone! As always please review and tell me how I'm doing so far, I can only get better with your help, folks! Feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I love talking to you guys and I'll be happy to answer as much as I can. But for now, I'm StratosOmega, the Cosmic Angel of Death, and I will see you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan based parody. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden and all other Naruto related media are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, Studio Pierrot and Shueshia. Please support the official release.**

Here is a key on how dialog will be spoken:

Speech

 **Tailed beast**

 _Thoughts_

Flashback

 **Narration**

 **Previously on Sakura: Days of Future Past, Sakura Haruno successfully traveled back in time and has already changed history by enabling Team 7 to pass their test and strengthening their teamwork in the process. Unfortunately, her chakra reserves shrank along with her body and she passed out following the tests conclusion. Upon coming to, Sakura found herself face to face with not only her long banished dark half, but the Nine tailed Fox as well.**

" **It's about time we've met, Sakura Haruno."**

Sakura stood motionless with a shocked look on her face for what seemed like an eternity staring at the malus filled eyes of the Nine-tails before she was able to utter a single question.

"You're Kurama, the Nine-tailed Fox right?"

The Nine-tails laughed at both Sakura's question and the look of shock on her face before replying **"So you already know my name? Well, that makes you a little more tolerable than most humans. However, why and insignificant worm like you thinks they've earned the right to even think my name is beyond me."**

Realizing that there are more important things than responding to Kurama's insult, Sakura gathered her thoughts and stood tall in front of the prison like bars separating her and the Fox Demon.

"Kurama, please listen to me. The Fourth Hokage sealed you inside me and sent us back in time to prevent the war from happening. I'm asking you to help me stop Madara's plan from succeeding." Asked Sakura with as much bravery in her voice as she could.

" **What reason is there for me to help you at all?"** Asked Kurama with a scowl on his gigantic face.

This question took Sakura by surprise. Why was the Fox feeling so uncooperative? Didn't he hate Madara as much as she did? "If you don't help me, Madara's going to make slaves of you and your brethren, as well all of humanity. Naruto's life is in danger as well, don't you care?"

" **What makes you think I give a damn whether that brat dies or not?"** asked the fox with a scowl on his face.

"But you cooperated with Naruto during the war. Didn't you choose to ally with us against Madara?!"

" **My other half chose to ally with Naruto and look how that turned out. The boy who swore up and down that he would end the war, save the tailed beasts and bring peace to the Shinobi world is dead and my other half is now a slave to the world's biggest ego maniac. That's what my faith in the boy got me. I question why you still have faith in him. Don't you blame him for his failures? After all, he failed to bring your precious Sasuke back, didn't he?"** Questioned Kurama, knowing that he would get under Sakura's skin with that one.

It's no secret that Sasuke's desertion of the Hidden Leaf and his subsequent fall into darkness hurt Sakura very deeply. Sakura had done everything she could to stop him from leaving, even confessing her love to him, but Sasuke still chose to leave in spite of everything. Add to the fact that, in her grief, Sakura had made Naruto swear to bring him back no matter the cost, which Naruto accepted due to his love for her and his bond with Sasuke. Naruto failed to bring Sasuke back, and nearly died in the process of trying along with the serious injuries of several of their friends.

She shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists in frustration. "I should have never put that burden on Naruto. It wasn't fair of me to solely depend on him because I was weak, we should've gone after Sasuke together from the beginning. No… I don't blame Naruto at all. I'll always have faith in him. I won't let him do this alone again. We'll save Sasuke and the future, together!"

The Nine-tails laughed loudly at the pink haired girl's newfound confidence. **"And just how do you plan on doing that? The amount of Chakra you possess at present is but a speck in comparison to the amount you once had and even then you were utterly worthless. How do you expect to make any difference this time around?"**

"Because this time I have three things that give me the advantage. I know what's going to happen, I have years of combat experience and I have your power inside me. So I'm done asking. You are going to help me save the future."

The fox hardened his stare at her. **"Or what?"**

Sakura's eyes shot open and her fists clenched tighter. "Or else I'll make you, you stupid fox!"

Right after Sakura made her defiant statement, red chakra began to surround her and the air became less breathable. While she struggled to fill her lungs with air, the Nine-tails glared at her with an intensity that felt almost as lethal as a knife to the jugular.

" **Watch your mouth, you cocky little shit! I could easily end your life within moments just by breathing on you. The only reason you continue to live is because I would also die if I killed you. You will get my power, if you truly wish for it, but you will have to struggle to survive if you want my cooperation, just like Naruto had to. I may despise Madara, but I will not put my faith into someone who isn't worthy. Do you understand, human?"**

Sakura nodded her head in understanding and suddenly she felt air fill her lungs again. It hurt a little, but Sakura couldn't help but smirk at the outcome of their discussion. It was a gamble, but Sakura would walk away with the jackpot. After thanking Kurama for his time, Sakura began to walk away when she felt a hand roughly grab her left shoulder. She turned around to face the person stopping her, only to gasp when she came face to face with the two black holesthat stood in for what were supposed to the be green eyesof her inner self. But Sakura had to remind herself _my inner self…_

"Well played, my outer self. You managed to get foxy to help you out. But I'd keep this in mind if I were you, pinkie. The Nine-tails isn't the only one you've gotta make peace with if you want to succeed." Said the inner Sakura.

"I'll keep that in mind." Replied Sakura with a stern glare on her face.

"Oh I know you will. I'll make sure of it." Replied inner Sakura before she suddenly disappeared in a puff of red smoke.

The sepia toned room that Sakura was in became enveloped in pitch blackness, leaving Sakura unable to tell where she should be going, much less where she was standing. Moments after she found herself in complete darkness, Sakura heard an echoing voice tell her "You've got a second chance, try not to screw up." Followed by unsettling erratic laughter.

When Sakura awoke the next morning, she was surprised to learn that she was in her bed instead of the training ground where she remembered passing out.

 _Kakashi sensei must have brought me back home. But why on earth does he know where I live? And who put me in bed? Never mind that though, what time is it? Did I miss our first mission?_ Sakura looked at the digital clock in a panic but calmed down when she saw that date was the day after the test and that she actually had some time before they were supposed to meet up.

 _Good. I would have hated for my plans to get derailed because I overslept._ Comforted by the fact that she wouldn't be tardy, Sakura hopped out of bed and ate breakfast with her mother and father before heading over to the spot where her team was supposed to meet.

When Sakura arrived at the meeting spot, she immediately noticedNaruto and Sasuke in the middle of another heated argument. She couldn't help but sigh and think to herself _do they have to do this every day? It's way too early for this crap!_ Despite the mounting irritation, Sakura forced her annoyance aside and ran over to greet them with a cheerful "Hey guys! Good morning!"

Naruto was the first to notice her and responded enthusiastically with "Hey Sakura! I'm glad you're here. You feeling okay today?"

"Yep. I feel great today." Replied Sakura. _That Naruto. He never does anything by halves, not even greetings._ Thought Sakura with a smile on her face.

"You had better be. I don't need you passing out during every mission." Said Sasuke with an annoyed scowl on his face.

"You won't have to worry about that, Sasuke. I feel like I've got more energy now than ever!" Replied Sakura as she shoved her fist in the air as if to illustrate her newfound energy. Then Sakura got a devious look on her face. "I could be wrong. But it sounded a little like you were worried about me for a second, Sasuke."

"In your dreams! I just didn't want to be held back because of your poor health." Countered Sasuke with a noticeable look of embarrassment on his face, which didn't go unnoticed by Naruto.

"Ha! You're totally embarrassed!" taunted Naruto.

"Shut up, loser!"

"Anyway, where's Kakashi sensei?" Asked Sakura before another shouting match could ensue.

"Why, I'm standing right behind you, Sakura." Answered Kakashi who seemed to appear out of nowhere. All three of his students reacted with shock as he waved hello to them. "It's good to see you here, Sakura. You should try to be more careful, chakra depletion can be very dangerous. You're lucky it was just exhaustion this time." Said Kakashi as if he were giving a lecture.

"I will Kakashi sensei, I promise." Replied Sakura.

"Good. Now come on, let's head over to the Hokage's office to receive our first mission."

At the mention of their first mission, Naruto began to get visibly excited and couldn't contain it for long. "Yeah! Time for me to start my first super awesome mission!"

Sakura, on the other hand was less enthusiastic. "More like the most boring missions ever…" muttered Sakura. This apparently went unnoticed by Naruto, who was still extremely excited, but not by Kakashi and Sasuke, who looked at her suspiciously for a moment.

Sakura was right to not be too excited about their first mission. Team 7's first few missions consisted of dog walking, gardening, weed pulling, painting and, most annoyingly, lost pet retrieval. After the last of such assignments, Naruto, predictably, loudly voiced his frustrations.

Team 7 had just completed their latest mission and were being debriefed by the Hokage when they requested their next assignment. "Now then, the next assignment for Kakashi's team 7 will be… hmm… to babysit for the council of elders, run errands to the neighboring village, help dig sweet potatoes…"

"No way! No thank you! BORING! Give us something different to do. Something important! Something amazing!" Exclaimed Naruto, voicing out loud what both of his fellow Genin were thinking.

Naruto's outburst was not appreciated by everyone in the room, however. One of those people, a Chunin named Iruka Umino, who was Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura's teacher back in the academy stood up and responded to Naruto's outburst. "Don't be a fool! You're only a beginner! Everyone starts out doing grunt work. It's where you get experience so you can work your way up to bigger things."

"We've done tons of small stuff. Can't we get some action?!" yelled Naruto before being hit on the top of the head by Kakashi.

"Naruto, that's enough. Knock it off!" Reprimanded Kakashi.

Believing that Naruto needed a refresher on how and why they take missions in the first place, the third Hokage began lecturing Naruto, and by extension everyone in the room about a ninja's job. Of course, Naruto stopped listening at some point, but so did Kakashi, strangely enough.

It wasn't that Kakashi didn't want to listen, it was that he couldn't. The fact is that he couldn't take his mind off the strange behavior of his lone female student. Before the day of the bell test, Sakura had been an A student in the classroom, but her skills as a Kunoichi were abysmal at best due to her focus on wooing Sasuke instead of doing any actual ninja training. During the test, however, Sakura seemed to have changed completely overnight into a focused Kunoichi with a plan that actually led to her team's success in the test. It was almost as if she had years of experience.

Thinking about the meaning of his last thought, Kakashi recalled the conversation he had with the Hokage about Sakura.

Flashback

An hour after Team 7 completed their final test, Kakashi went to the Hokages' office to give his report on the newly graduated Genin. After hearing the Kakashi's report, the Hokage leaned forward in his chair to rest his chin on his hands. "I see. Well, I'm certainly glad to know that you've finally passed a team, Kakashi."

"Yes, well, unlike all of the other teams who had failed before, this batch seemed to figure out what I was trying to teach them." Replied Kakashi with a masked grin.

"I'm surprised all three of them figured it out."

"Sasuke and Naruto performed as expected, the real surprise was Sakura Haruno." Said Kakashi in a serious tone.

The Third Hokage looked perplexed for a moment then stroked his white beard in contemplation. "Sakura Haruno? If I'm not mistaken, she's the daughter of Kizashi and Mibuki Haruno. If memory serves, neither of them were able to advance past Genin level, but from your report…"

"It would seem that their daughter might possess some talent. Not only did she seem to figure out the point of the exercise right away, she was able to come up with a counter attack and convince Naruto and Sasuke to cooperate and follow her instructions. Also, when I attacked her doing the test, she broke the Genjutsu I used on her and countered with an attack similar to lady Tsunade's. However…"

The Hokage nodded in understanding at Kakashi's pause and continued for him. "The way she reacted when she broke free of the Genjutsu was odd and she knew how you'd react if your book were to be targeted. I saw that using my Crystal Ball Jutsu. Wasn't she acting differently before the test as well?"

Kakashi took a moment to sigh deeply before continuing the conversation. "A sudden increase in skill, and a change in personality aren't exactly uncommon in our world, but I'll admit the look in her eyes during the Genjutsu has me a little concerned."

"I understand your concern. But right now there isn't any reason to take drastic action. The conversation between Sasuke and herself the day they were assigned to you may have inspired her to change her attitude about her life as a Kunoichi as well as her overall attitude with those around her." Said the third Hokage while leaning back in his chair and taking his pipe out of the desk drawer. He lit the pipe and took a long drag and exhaled before continuing. "It won't be for some time, but when it comes time for your team to enter into combat for the first time, hang back and pay attention to how they perform. Depending on the resulting exchange, draw your own conclusion as to what action should be taken."

Kakashi nodded and stared hard at the ground. "Yes, lord Hokage."

Flashback end

Kakashi's recollection of his conversation with the Hokage was ended when Iruka yelled at Naruto for ignoring the Hokage. Kakashi apologized, but Naruto objected further.

"I don't want to hear it! All the old fart ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture. But it's not fair. There's more to me than the troublemaking screw up the old man thinks I am!"

Naruto's silique was punctuated with a punch to the back of the head from Sakura, who had kept quiet all this time.

"Ow, Sakura. What was that for?!" Whined Naruto while rubbing his head.

"Will you calm down you idiot?! I know that you want to prove yourself, but this is the Hokage you're talking to, have some respect!"

"But Sakura…"

"You want people to respect you when you become Hokage, right? Be taken seriously? Then set an example." Finished Sakura with a serious, but gentle look on her face.

In truth, Sakura was envisioning what she hoped to be the future that she would help create. Naruto would be the Hokage and she and Sasuke would be there to support him. She knew that for him to get there, respect was key. Naruto would understand that later in life, but Sakura figured it would be better if he started learning that now.

Luckily, Naruto got the message. "Yeah, I hear ya, Sakura. I just really want a chance to show what I can do, you know?"

Sakura smiled and nodded in response. "Yeah, I get it."

Though thoroughly entertained by their exchange, the third Hokage cleared his throat and continued. "Very well. Since you put it that way and as a reward for your growth in character, I will permit you to attempt a C rank mission. The protection of a certain individual."

Excited with the prospect of his new task, Naruto asked who they would be protecting "Who is it? Some great lord? The Daimyo? A princess?"

"Compose yourself. I'll make the introductions now." Responded the Hokage before turning to his assistant. "Please invite him in."

A second later the doors opened to reveal an elderly man holding a bottle of booze. "What's going on here? They look like a bunch of snot-nosed brats. Especially the midget. He's got the face of an imbecile. It's a joke right? You kids aren't really ninja, are you?" Asked the old man.

"Who do you mean? Who's the midget? Which imbecil…?" asked Naruto.

It took a minute for Naruto to realize the fact that he was the shortest member of his team, and when he did realize this fact, he tried to charge towards the old man but was held back by Kakashi.

"I'll kill him!"

"Wrong. No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect." Said Kakashi as Naruto vainly struggled in his grip.

"I'm Tazuna, A bridge builder of ultimate renown. Until I'm safely back in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll all be expected to protect me… even if it costs you your lives!"

Having finally received their assignment, the three Genin of Team 7 had their own thoughts on their client.

 _I hate this guy…_ thought Naruto.

 _My first mission of merit is to protect a drunk… great…_ thought Sasuke.

 _You know, out of all my memories of back then, dealing with grumpy, drunk Tazuna particularly sucked…_ Thought Sakura.

To be continued

 **A/N Once again this took longer than I wanted to come out and I apologize profusely for that. College was in the way. It still is, but I needed some me time, you know? I gotta have fun, and writing is fun for me. Next time Team 7 fights the demon brothers and confront Zabuza for the first time.**

 **I had Naruto use the term "You know" in this chapter. This doesn't mean this will be his official verbal tic in this story, in fact he might not have one. I wrote it here because it made sense.**

 **I am so happy I was able to get this one out by Halloween, and I promise you won't have to wait till charismas for the next one. In fact, because I like ya'll. Next time you'll get chapters 5 and 6 at the same time!**

 **Some more good news! I've decided to add two new stories to my fan fiction account! (Yay!) I won't be posting in any particular order and this story is my priority, but I hope you check them out and like them as much as you do this one.**

 **The first is a Bleach mini-series involving Karin Kurosaki teaching a Soul reaper (An OC of mine) to be more than a killer, Called "The Manslayer of Squad 2".**

 **The other is another Naruto story about a boy who was brought from our world into the world of Naruto by Tobi to be used in project Tsuki no me staring a bunch of OC's mixed in with the cast (The paring is OC x Hinata). Its title is "The Burning Dragon of the Hidden Leaf".**

 **I'm also think about rewriting and posting an old Rosario Vampire story and I have some ideas for an Akame Ga Kill story, but those could take a while.**

 **Point is, look out! It's the rise of the OC's!**

 **Anyway moving on, It's time for our after chapter segment called "How Do You Pronounce it?" In this segment, I, StratosOmega and the cast of Naruto, will be helping those of you who are new to the Anime/Manga culture pronounce words correctly so that you can better enjoy the stories you read from myself or any of fanfiction's other talented authors. Today's host is our pink haired protagonist and my favorite character to play as in the ultimate ninja storm games, the powerful, the talented, and the new number one Madara hater: Sakura Haruno! Take it away Sakura!**

 **Sakura: Thank you so much! I'm glad to be here!** **In today's episode, we'll be teaching you how to pronounce the names of the important characters for this arc.**

 **First up we have the honorable but drunk bridge builder we met in today's chapter: Tazuna!**

 **His name is pronounced like this: Tah-zoo-nah.**

 **Next up is his pessimistic but adorable grandson: Inari!**

 **You pronounce his name like this: E-nar-E.**

 **Up next is that vile weasel of a man: Gatou!**

 **His name is pronounced: Gah-toe.**

 **Still following along? Good, because up next we have the Demon of the Hidden Mist: Zabuza Momochi!**

 **His first name is pronounced like so: Zah-boo-zah.**

 **His last name is pronounced like this: Moe-moe-chee.**

 **And last but not least, we have the person who confuses the crap out of a whole bunch of fanboys and fan favorite: Haku!**

 **Haku's name is pronounced like so: Hah-koo.**

 **Well, that's all for me! Once again thank you for having me! I hope to come back soon. Back to you, StratosOmega!**

 **Thank you so much for coming, Sakura!** **Looks like that's all the time we have for today everyone! As always please review and tell me how I'm doing so far, I can only get better with your help, folks! Feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I love talking to you guys and I'll be happy to answer as much as I can. But for now, I'm StratosOmega, the Cosmic Angel of Death, and I will see you next time!**


	5. Author Notice

**Author Notice**

 **Greetings readers! I am StratosOmega, the Cosmic Angel of Death. As you can see, this isn't a new chapter or a new story. I know I promised a new chapter to my fic and the beginning of another fic, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to. I won't make any excuses, except to tell you that life got in the way and I haven't been able to write. I promise you this, I will NEVER abandon any story and I will continue soon. I'll be back and I'll be better than ever. Till then, please wait a little longer. Thank you everyone, This is StratosOmega, and I'll see you next time!**


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